I love wild rice and it’s healthier than white rice...what a great excuse to splurge once in awhile! This is another recipe given to me by Faye Miller. I prepared it recently when my son Jason was visiting for a weekend this month. It makes a large casserole that should generously feed eight people.

If you want a vacation from fixing lunch, consider supporting the United Methodist Women fund raiser for missions held Sunday, February 28th from 11:00-1:00 p.m. A large baked potato bar (numerous toppings) including dessert will be on the menu - all for a free will offering! The Fairmont United Methodist Church is lcoated at 119 2nd Street - use the north door!!Wild Rice Casserole: Bake the following ingredients in a covered casserole at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours:1 cup washed wild rice3 cups water3/4 tsp saltDrain any remaining liquid when done. While rice is baking, cook and dice 2-3 chicken breasts (I used 3 large halves). You may substitute turkey, set aside.

Mix the above together (rice, chicken and sauté), then add:1 small can sliced/diced water chestnuts, drained5 tsp soy sauce2 cans cream of mushroom soup1 small carton of sour cream with chives1 small can drained mushrooms1 cup shredded yellow cheese. Bake all together in a greased 9x13 inch baking pan, covered for 40 minutes at 350 degrees. Makes a generous rich dish, freezes well. Have a great week!

I really didn’t plan on another soup recipe this week, but I am submitting this one because it was requested by several people. Not only that, it looks like soup weather is with us for a while longer. We serve a soup supper at our church on Wednesday evenings during lent. The circle I belong to was responsible for the supper on Ash Wednesday, so for one of our soup choices, I made corn chowder. I had never made it before but it was a hit! This is another recipe Faye Miller shared with me, one that will stay in my recipe file.Corn Chowder soup:1/2 lb sliced bacon, cut in small pieces, fried crisp, drained on paper towels and crumbled1 cup chopped celery1/2 cup chopped onion2 cups cubed potatoes1 cup water (I used chicken broth)2 cups frozen corn1 can cream corn1 can evaporated milk (12 oz.)1 tsp dill weedsalt and pepper to tasteSauté onion and celery in 3 Tbs butter (you can use drippings from the bacon it you want, but I used butter)

Add all other ingredients in kettle and simmer about 30 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Yields 1 1/2 quarts. Since I was making this soup for about 50 people, I 6x the recipe. It makes an electric roaster full and we only had 1 cup left. I cubed the potatoes and boiled and drained them separately for about 15 minutes before adding them to the soup. If I was making just a single recipe, I would have just tossed it all together.

I had finished a book and hit a snag with a knitting project, so what to do on a day when your pretty well snowed in?! Oh, I know, there is always a deep cleaning project I could do but I wasn’t in the mood. Then I thought about a bread cookbook my Mother had given me several years ago, written by Linda Hinrichsen Kastner. Linda now lives in California, but went to school at Elmore. She was a friend that I have lost track of over the years. I enjoyed reading her cookbook on how to bake bread along with several recipes. I decided it was time I try one. I am so glad I did! It is the best whole wheat bread I’ve tasted. It makes 3 loaves, so you can eat one, freeze one and have one to share with a friend!High Fiber Bread:2 cups scalded milk1 cup warm water2 pkgs. dry yeast, dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water and 1 tsp sugar. Let set until foams1/4 cup honey1/4 cup molasses1/4 cup oil2 tsp salt3 cups whole wheat flour1 cup rye flour1 cup flax meal or wheat germ (I used flax meal)1 cup yellow corn meal2-3 cups white bread flourScald milk, then put in a large bowl, add cold water to the hot milk to cool it. Add dissolved yeast mixture. Stir in the honey, molasses, oil and salt, then the flours, whole wheat, rye, flax meal, corn meal, stir well. Add white bread flour until you can knead.( I used 2 1/2 cups and kneaded in the last 1/2 cup) Turn out on a floured counter, let rest 10 minutes and then knead 10 minutes. The longer the better. (I set a timer.) Place in a greased bowl and cover. Let rise until double, punch down and let raise again. Shape into 3 loaves, place in greased bread pans 8” in length x 3 inches deep. Let rise only to the top of the pans. Bake at 375 degrees for 30- 35 minutes. Remove from pans, brushing tops with butter. Cool completely. Great toasted. Stay safe and warm and have a great week!

Warm up with SoupIt sounds like our January thaw is coming to an end with blizzard conditions forecast, along with colder temperatures! This soup recipe comes from my good friends and former co-workers, Jean and Joan McKnight. It hits the spot on a cold winter's day. I like to put the ingredients in a crock pot and cook it all day, but it's good on top of the stove, too. If I am feeling really domestic and ambitious, I like a slice of fresh homemade wheat bread with this!Potato Sauerkraut Soup:4 cups chicken broth1 can cream of mushroom soup16 oz. can of sauerkraut, rinsed and drained8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced1 medium potato, cubed2 carrots, chopped1 medium onion, chopped2 stalks celery, chopped3/4 lb polish sausage, cubed2 Tbsp vinegar1 Tbsp sugar2 tsp dill weed1/8 tsp pepperMix all ingredients in a 4 qt. kettle, cover and cook until vegetables are tender. Stay safe and warm and have a great week!

Author

I'm Kathy Lloyd. I grew up on a farm near Elmore, MN and have lived in Fairmont for over 44 years. I have always loved to cook, even when I was very young. I loved to stay with my Aunt Dorothy during my childhood. She was a great cook and used to give me freedom in the kitchen, teaching me along the way. She made recipes from our Norwegian heritage, along with pies, homemade doughnuts, yeast bread and cinnamon rolls.

Marrying a husband with a hearty appetite and raising 3 sons and 1 daughter gave me plenty of hungry appetites to satisfy! I worked as a nurse for 42 years and have been retired for 11 years. Even though I loved my work, I love having time to spend with my grandchildren, to experiment with new recipes and work with my flowers in the summer. Life has been very good to me, blessing me with my loving family and great friends!

I enjoy sharing my love of cooking and recipes with the readers of the Photo Press! (I have had my share of cooking failures over the years!)